1. Field of the Invention
Example embodiments relate to a thin film transistor (TFT), to a method of fabricating the same, and to a flat panel display (FPD) device having the same. More particularly, example embodiments relate to a TFT having improved characteristics, to a method of fabricating the same, and to a FPD having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the advent of a highly developed information-oriented society, demands for, e.g., personal computers, car navigation systems, personal digital assistances (PDAs), data communication devices or combination products thereof, are increasing. Such products may require FPD devices with, e.g., good visibility, wide viewing angle characteristics, fast response time, and so forth, for displaying information.
A conventional FPD device, e.g., an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, and so forth, may include a TFT as a switching device for driving a pixel in the FPD. A conventional TFT may include a gate electrode on a semiconductor layer, and source/drain electrodes. The semiconductor layer of the conventional TFT, however, may be formed of an opaque material, e.g., amorphous or crystalline silicon. Thus, when a TFT with opaque components is used as a switching device in a FPD device, e.g., an OLED display device, there may be a limit to an increase in width of a channel of the TFT due to the characteristics of the opaque semiconductor layer. A limited channel width of the conventional TFT may limit current flow therethrough and may require high voltage application, thereby increasing power consumption in the FPD, e.g., deteriorating an OLED in an OLED display device and increasing power consumption thereof.